


Harmony

by chariotdunord



Category: BanG Dream! (Anime), BanG Dream! Girl's Band Party! (Video Game)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-21
Updated: 2019-07-26
Packaged: 2020-03-08 23:01:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,372
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18904435
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chariotdunord/pseuds/chariotdunord
Summary: Lisa was an ordinary girl living in a small coastal town. Her only troubles were that Yukina, her best friend since childhood, has been distancing herself from her lately. But everything changed when she stumbled upon a mermaid with a mysterious past.Inspired by art by dita (@dita_garupa) on twitter, but with my own take.





	1. Chapter 1

Pain racked her body as she swam. It was a combination of hunger, lack of sleep, and fatigue from fighting the ferocious currents continuously for days. Stubbornness had kept her going for a while, but even that was beginning to wane. There was nothing on her mind but the ache of her muscles and the groan of her stomach... and a memory.

_A hand grabbing her own from behind her. A voice choked with tears._

_"Sister... please don't go!"_

_"Sorry..." She said, and shoved the hand away._

She gritted her teeth and kept going. Where? She didn't know - only that she could stay _there_ no longer. She just had to get away.

So she fought through the pain. She didn't notice the changing pressures, the warming of the lower waters, the decreasing salinity, the depleting oxygen. A storm was nigh, and it was a big one. By the time she realized it was already too late.

The turbulent water battered at her body. It was hard to breathe. She could no longer tell forward from backward. Debris and small fish flew everywhere. An uprooted coral rammed into her head, and a new pain flared through her already addled mind. The scent of iron briefly filled her nostrils before being swept away.

She was too tired to fight anymore. She was too tired to think, except that she had failed. She had failed at everything, even running away. So what had she left to lose? Finally, she succumbed to the darkness.

* * *

“Stupid vocal lessons…” Lisa mumbled, kicking away washed-up debris and dead wildlife from her path. “Stupid Yukina… stupid dad.”

The sand was cold beneath her feet and the clouds of the storm yesterday had yet to retreat.

Ordinarily, she would have loved to feel the hot sand beneath her feet, the water lapping at her ankles, and the sun on her back. She wasn’t allowed those simple pleasures today though.

But she took her stroll anyway. If not a swim, a stroll on the beach always calmed her down. She carried her sandals in one hand and a small backpack in the other. No one else was around due to the aftermath of the storm.

Lisa didn’t know how long she spent walking. Before she knew it, she had wandered well beyond the designated beach area. The sand grew gravelly and course, the waves pounded more and more violently on the shore, and the water bottles, trash bags, and dead fish were replaced by larger and larger rocks. To her side, the ground rose sharply like a cliff. Above it was a road - one she took often between home and every part of her little town.

A particularly large wave crashed against a boulder, tossing a salty spray into Lisa’s face.

“Blegh…” Lisa said, wiping her eyes. Then she looked around at the jagged rocks around. Her eyes drifted to the sun, dipping below the horizon. “Oh shoot! This late already?”

Right as she was about to turn and jog back, something shimmering in the distance caught her attention.

It was by a cluster of rocks several meters away, nearer to the sea. From the road above, it would appear to anyone as merely a pile of rocks. But from Lisa’s angle, she could see what appeared to the tail a large fish.

She was ready to dismiss it at just that, but something about the odd way it reflected the twilight told her that it was something more. She had to investigate.

To free both hands, Lisa strapped her sandals onto her backpack. With care, she clambered over the wet, jagged rocks and slowly made her way over. She was moving closer to the water, and the spray from the waves wetted her clothes. Lisa hardly noticed though. Her gaze never strayed from the shimmering light longer than a few seconds.

As she drew near, the appearance of the fish tail grew ever clearer. It was larger than she expected, covered in iridescent scales, and ended in a sheer lunate fin. However, the remaining portion of the creature was still hidden - but not for long.

She came upon her target. A wide half-ring of rocks near perfectly concealed the view of its concave side. Lisa was slightly winded from the trip, but she couldn’t help hold her breath in anticipation. Wasting no time, Lisa whirled to the other side of the rocks.

“Oh... my god.” Lisa gasped, eyes-wide.

Before her was a creature straight from her childhood fairy tales, yet nothing like she had ever imagined. The tail did not belong to any fish, but connected to the torso of a young girl.

It was a mermaid.

She was lying on her side. Jewelry adorned her head, on top of long, sea-green hair tangled with seaweed and seashells. Over her chest and arms were clothing whose design and material she had never seen before. They would have been beautiful, had they not been caked with wet sand. Occasional waves washed over her body, as if the ocean was trying to reclaim the creature to its rightful home.

Then Lisa saw a gash on the mermaid’s head. It was already scabbed over, but definitely fresh. Worry quickly chased away the awe.

“Ah! What do I do? What do I do?” Lisa wondered out loud.

She knelt down next to the creature, and she noticed more wounds on her arms and torso. Her hands reached out, then hovered over the body.

“Wait... what if I shouldn’t touch her?”

She hesitated, but only for a moment. Lisa decided that attempting something would most likely be better than not doing anything.

Luckily she always carried rudimentary first aid supplies on her person. Lisa hurriedly removed them from her backpack and set to work.

* * *

She came to slowly.

First was the feeling of her own weightiness, along with the air she breathed. So she was on land.

Soon after came the pain. It was throughout her entire body, including a gnawing headache. She attempted to move her tail, but the pain quickly intensified. She just as quickly gave up, gasping as the pain receded. It was enough to put her back to sleep.

Or perhaps she didn’t. Or perhaps she already was. All sense of time was lost.

Her consciousness later surfaced again, bringing new sensations - the sound of splashing waves, a foreign taste on her tongue, and of being constricted. Something was wrapped around her upper body, as well as her head, abdomen, and parts of her arms.

She tried moving her body again, and this time she settled for just an arm.

She groaned. The pain was still there, but it was tolerable at least. Her headache was mostly gone too, with only some nausea left behind.

Finally, she risked opening her eyes.

The stars greeted her. By habit she scanned the constellations and estimated her bearings. It took barely a few seconds.

“You’re awake!”

She startled at the sound, and looked to her left.

_A human!_

On instinct she tried to swim away, but the movement only left her writhing in pain again.

“Hey it’s okay! I won’t hurt you. It’s okay. Just stay still. You’re hurt.”

The human’s voice was soft, on the edge of a whisper, and devoid of malice. So she remained as still as she could for now. She didn’t really have a choice. She took shallow breaths, willing the pain away. Her headache was coming back.

In that time she noticed what was wrapped around her body - thin bands of a rough, white fabric. Laying over her was a large, thick piece of cloth with a colorful design. The waves have calmed with the transition into night, and they were more or less dry.

“How are you feeling? I patched you up a bit. I hope that’s okay. You had a lot of injuries.”

She turned back to face the human. It sat a few paces away. A small smile was on its face.

“Can you understand me?”

She gave no response. She only continued to observe. After a moment the human’s smile waned a little.

“No? Aww, that’s too bad.”

The human turned around. It then withdrew from behind it a container.

“Do you want to eat?”

It opened the container, grabbed a portion of its contents, and put it in its mouth.

“See? Food. Want some?”

It slowly held out the foreign food to her mouth. Its smell made her grimace.

“I was afraid not… I’m not sure what mermaids eat. But I fed you some soup when you were unconscious.”

Her eyes widened in shock and panic.

“I hope that’s okay… I thought you might need the energy. At the very least it didn’t harm you, haha.”

The human’s laughter turned into a sigh.

“My mom’s gonna be so upset. I haven’t even told her where I am. I’ve never been out this late.”

Mom… mother… memories rushed back to her. That’s right. She had ran away. She had barely left a word. What would her family think?

“But here I am talking to some creature who can’t understand me… just because I have no one else.”

 _No one else…_ the words repeated in her mind. Was this human just the same?

“By the way, I moved some more rocks over. Just to make sure others won’t see you. Got a few annoying cuts myself on my-”

“Human,” she spoke, her voice hoarse. Nevertheless it elicited a gasp, along with its hands flying to its mouth.

“Thank you.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for the support! I honestly didn't expect such a response. All your kudos and comments made me really happy!
> 
> I'm sorry the 2nd chapter took a while to come. Part of it was my tiering for the Neo-Aspect event, but the sayolisa content in it inspired me to write more too!
> 
> I hope you enjoy this chapter as well and I hope you'd stick around for more!

The door to her house creaked as it opened. Lisa cringed at the sound.

“I’m home...” she whispered to no one in particular. She heard no response.

A night-light illuminated her path as she padded across the hallway. She soon reached her bedroom door. Right as she placed her hand on the doorknob, a voice behind her startled her.

“Oh Lisa! Thank goodness! Do you know how late it is?”

Lisa turned around slowly, mustering up the best smile she could.

“Ahaha… sorry I made you worry, mom. I lost track of time. It won’t happen again! Promise!”

Her mom sighed. “As long as you understand... but I'm only letting you off because you're on school break! Where were you anyway?”

“At the beach. I um… fell asleep?”

Her mom smiled and shook her head. “I don’t know how you can spend so much time there. Make sure to bathe, okay? You smell like it.”

“I will!” Lisa said as her mom walked away. “Goodnight!”

Lisa entered her room with a sigh of relief. Her window faced directly across another window, that of her neighbor. Lisa saw the curtains open and a light on. Her gaze went to the digital clock on her nightstand. It was nearing midnight now.

Lisa approached her window and whispered. “Psst… Yukina? Yukinaaa…”

As she waited for a response, she peered hard into the limited view of the bedroom, looking for any trace of moment. None came. After a while, Lisa sighed and closed her window.

Several minutes later, she was soaking in her bath. She let her mind empty. The hot steam seemed to melt away all the day’s happenings. The events at the beach especially felt almost like an illusion in her current mundane setting.

Then her phone vibrated next to her. Lisa picked it up and found a message from her mom.

_“I left some food for you in the fridge.”_

Another message came as she read it.

_“We had fish.”_

Lisa couldn’t help but think of the mermaid again. What if she brought food for her tomorrow? What kind of food did she eat anyway? Would she eat their fish?

 _“Thanks mom~”_ she replied back, and set her phone down.

Not even the hot bath could pull her back from her thoughts now. The more Lisa thought about the mermaid, the more she regretted not asking more useful questions than she had.

* * *

“You… you can speak! You understand me!”

The mermaid nodded back at her. The very act of non-verbal communication sent a thrill up Lisa’s spine. Then the mermaid spoke again.

“I apologize for remaining silent. I did not yet know if I could trust you.”

Her voice was barely above a whisper. She spoke slowly, but perfectly. Almost too perfectly.

“Oh… well, I’m glad you did!”

“You saved my life, you cared for me, and you concealed me. You have my gratitude.”

Lisa flushed. Never had she imagined that she would save a person’s life. It was just too serious a matter.

“I-It’s no biggie! It’s what anyone would do.”

“Not so. Your kind has not treated our people well throughout history.”

At this point the mermaid broke into a coughing fit. Lisa hurriedly produced a bottle from her backpack.

“Here! Have some water!”

Lisa propped her mermaid’s head up with one hand and tipped the contents of the bottle into her mouth.

After she was done drinking, Lisa retreated a couple paces back to her seat before. She wanted to give her plenty of space, just in case.

“This water is very pure,” the mermaid said. Her voice was clear and strong now. It was silky and soothing to the ear. “You continue to care for me… In any case, regardless of the history between our kinds, I am greatly indebted to you.”

“Eh…? No no, that’s not necessary!” Lisa waved her hands in front of her.

“It is the custom of our people.”

“But… I’m not one of your people, right?”

The mermaid stared at her silently. Her intense, questioning eyes made Lisa squirm.

She replied at last. “But even as you say, on my own integrity, I cannot let my debt go.”

“You really don’t have to…” Lisa murmured, but it seems like the mermaid wouldn’t accept ‘no’ for an answer.

“Is there anything you desire? I will do all I can to provide it.”

Lisa let out a small whine. She didn’t know what to ask. It’s not like she could ask for any physical item. How would the mermaid ever get her hands on it? Not to mention it’d be shallow of her.

She scribbled on the sand, feeling pressured to answer promptly.

“To be honest… just the chance to meet you and talk to you, even if it’s for a short while, is enough for me.”

Then an idea flickered through her mind, but Lisa hesitated. What if it was too selfish of her?

“If it’s alright… I just want to talk to you… get to know you and stuff.”

The mermaid’s eyes widened in surprise, then squinted inquisitively.

“You are an unusual one, human. But I suppose such a request I can grant.”

“Really!? Wow… thanks!” Lisa scooted closer. “I just… y’know, I have so many questions!”

“You may ask me anything. It is the least I can do to repay you.”

Lisa laughed in excitement, but paused. It was as if every question she had vanished from her head. “Let’s see... oh! So, you’re a mermaid… right?”

“Our kind has been referred to by a number of names, but yes, you may call me that.”

“You mention your people. How many of you are there?”

“Once we were many, but nowadays, our numbers are few. I have only seen other mermaids once in my life, besides my own family.”

The mermaid closed her eyes. Perhaps she was remembering that moment.

“That sounds so lonely…” Lisa received no response. She decided to change the subject “So… how can you understand me?”

The mermaid opened her eyes again. Lisa saw a small gleam in them.

“Our kind possesses the gift of tongues. Call it magic, if you wish.”

Mermaids… magic… it was all so surreal, and yet it was right in front of her. Lisa felt like she could barely breathe from it all.

Lisa smiled, feeling more confident about asking questions. But enough about mermaids in general, at least for now. She wanted to know about _her_ specifically.

“How did you end up here? Was it the storm?”

The mermaid took a moment before responding. Her eyes wandered, as if searching for the right words.

“I was travelling. I was tired. I did not notice the storm until it was too late.”

“What about your family… were you separated from them?”

“Yes… you could say that.”

Lisa got a strange feeling that there was more to it, but she decided not to pry. Perhaps she would hear about it later.

Lisa checked the time on her phone. She sucked in a breath. It was _really_ late then, and she had several unread messages from her mom.

“Any further questions?” The mermaid asked.

“Ah… I don’t know? I feel like I have more but I can’t think of any right now… but I just don’t want to leave yet.”

The mermaid hummed. “I suspect you must return home, am I right? If it sets you at ease, I will remain here until the next day.”

“R-Really?”

“Yes. I do not believe I will be able to move so soon.”

Lisa gave a small laugh. “I’m so happy.”

The mermaid raised an eyebrow.

“N-Not that you can't move!” Lisa stammered. “I’m just glad that… I can talk to you more.”

“I see.”

“So uh… I guess I’ll be leaving,” Lisa said, half standing now. “I’ll see you tomorrow then?”

The mermaid nodded, and Lisa smiled.

“I’ll come in the morning! See ya!”

“Until then.”

* * *

Lisa jumped straight to bed after her bath. She wasn’t feeling too hungry, and it was already so late. Her body was tired, but as still as she lay her mind couldn’t sleep. The mermaid occupied her thoughts. She still had so many more questions.

_“Where does she normally live?”_

_“What does she eat?”_

_“What kind of things does she do for fun?”_

_“What is her family like?”_

Lisa couldn’t wait until morning.

Before she finally fell asleep, Lisa remembered one more question she should have already asked.

_“What is her name?”_


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One more tiny but significant edit to Chapter 1: Sayo's name was said once, but I took this out because I didn't want her name to be said yet (until now).

It took nearly an entire hour after the human girl left for her heart to calm. Their interaction and conversation played repeatedly through her mind.

Has any mermaid opened up so much to a human before? Indeed some have. She knew from the songs passed down to her, and usually they ended in travesty for them.

But it was the request of the one who saved her. She was at the girl’s mercy, but she had been treated with nothing but kindness. The human girl was unlike any of the stories she was told. Any bitterness she had was solely at her own negligence that nearly killed her.

She watched the stars slowly drift across the sky. She didn’t feel like sleeping tonight. The moon was full. Its light seemed to soften the ocean. The sound of the tepid waves eventually breached her mind, and pulled her gaze to the horizon.

* * *

_“Sister, slow down!”_

_The water rushed past her as she swam._

_“Stop following me,” she replied, not caring whether it was heard or not._

_“But I want to see the great ones too!”_

_“Why must you always cling to me?”_

_“Because I want to be with you!”_

_“Ugh… well, there’s no use complaining to you anymore. We’re here now.”_

_They stopped swimming. They were a certain distance east of their home, a location said to intersect with the migration routes of the great ones._

_“Really!? Yay! Where are they? Where are they?”_

_“Mother said they will arrive soon. Now hush.”_

_They didn’t have to wait long. They heard them before they saw them, a song reverberating through the water. It was high, but at the same time, rich and deep. It was nostalgic and melancholic, singing experiences of the furthest reaches of the past._

_A shadow in the distance approached, followed by two more. It grew larger… and larger… and unimaginably larger until it came clearly into view._

_“Wow... that’s the biggest fin I’ve ever seen!”_

_“Hey, don’t get so close!” She grabbed her sister by the arm and pulled her back._

_“Eh? I want to talk to it!”_

_“It’s not safe!”_

_“It’s fine! Oh, I think they’re surfacing! Let’s watch it!”_

_“Wait!”_

_She followed after her sister, who swam rapidly upwards. They broke the surface, right before a huge mass erupted from beneath. One by one, they shot out of the water, spraying from their blowholes a salty mist._

_They dived back down again and watched as the giants swam into the distance._

_“Incredible… this experience is worthy of a song.”_

_“It sure is! I think I already got one!”_

_“What?”_

_She felt a familiar, ill feeling rise up._

_“I can’t wait to show mother!”_

_“But… I was the one mother told about this. I should be the one to sing to her.”_

_“It’s fine if we both make a song, right? Come on!”_

* * *

“C’mon, man, you're pullin' my leg!”

A shout pulled her from her thoughts. A human male’s voice. It was much too close for comfort.

“Listen! I’ve been fishin’ this sea for 30 years. I ain’t never seen me a scale like this one.”

She gasped and peered at her own tail. She couldn’t see any damage, but with the low light, it was hard to tell.

“So you see one shiny scale and wake me up at the ass-crack of dawn to look for more!”

“Look at this shape! Look at these colors!”

The voices seemed right next to her now. She drew her tail in as close as possible.

“So you think we’d see some fancy fish _here_? That prob’ly just washed up!”

There was a slight pause. She held her breath.

“Look… we’ve been searchin’ for hours, and these rocks are gettin’ pretty dangerous. Let’s go home.”

Another pause, much longer this time.

“Fine… let’s go home.”

Their footsteps retreated, and she released her breath.

All night she had peacefully played through her memories. Now the morning sky was an alarming red. It soaked the air in a blood red miasma. She could not risk staying where she was, but even so, she had nowhere else to go.

* * *

“Hello? Miss mermaid?” whispered a familiar voice.

She had finally decided to sleep after the near-encounter. She opened her eyes and saw the human girl, crouching above her. The sky was bright, and the sun had risen considerably.

The girl was wearing different garments than the day before. It revealed much more skin, sparing only the chest and groin. The girl’s hair has also been gathered and tied up at the side of the head. A skittish feeling rose up in her chest at the sight of the human girl.

“So you came back,” she replied.

The girl smiled. “Sorry to wake you. How are you feeling?”

“It is perfectly alright, and I already feel much better.”

To prove her point, she placed her arms beneath her and slowly lifted herself into a sitting position.

“You can sit up now! That’s great!”

In a hurry, the human girl spread a large piece of cloth over the sand beside her and sat down. From a bag, she retrieved a container. She chatted all the while.

“This makes things easier! I brought us some food from home. I realized I didn’t ask what kinds of things you eat. I hope salmon is okay?”

“Yes, most fish are fine.”

“Great! I hope you like it. My mom’s food is pretty top-notch if I do say so myself.”

As the girl opened the container, a strange fragrance reached her. Using two wooden sticks in one hand, the girl picked up a small chunk and extended towards her.

“Say aaah~”

“You... do not have to feed me.”

“Aww, but I want to take care of you!”

She sighed. “If you insist.”

As soon as the fish touched her tongue, the taste overwhelmed her senses.

“What is this!?” She said, her mouth still full. “It tastes nothing like salmon.”

“Eh!? But it is salmon…? Let’s see, my mom cooks it with soy sauce, cilantro, dried crushed chili peppers, uh…”

She finished her mouthful and cleared her throat. “Human girl… I believe those are all land vegetation.”

“Oh, you’re right… I didn’t think about that.”

“I usually eat fish raw.”

“Eh!?” The girl said, her face full of shock. She then looked down at her food dejectedly. “I guess you wouldn’t eat this?”

“I never said that. The taste is not bad, just unexpected.”

The girl sighed in relief. “Okay… I’m sorry about this.”

“Do not be. I will gratefully receive your food.”

The girl continued to feed her, alternating giving each of them the food. She was also introduced to another fare, called “rice”. Its taste was much more subdued and easily acquired.

As they ate, the human girl’s mood perked up steadily, to the point of giggling after each bite fed to her. As for herself, the jittery feeling from before returned with force. She credited it to the novelty of the situation.

“That was a feast!” the girl said with a clap of her hands after they finished.

“You seemed to have derived much pleasure from feeding me.”

“Ahaha, I used to do this a lot with my best friend. She’s so helpless, see. You know, you kind of remind me of her.”

She raised an eyebrow. “I am helpless?”

“N-No, I meant you have similar personalities! You’re both so serious and stuff…” The girl laughed sheepishly.

“Do you spend a lot of time with your best friend?”

“Well… she’s been kinda busy lately.”

She waited for more details, but none came. So she simply replied, “I see.”

“Um… anyway! Why don’t I change your bandages?”

The girl dug through her bag and retrieved a roll of the same thin white fabric still wrapped around her body.

“So you call these bandages?”

“Yup! Actually this is gauze. You didn’t know?”

“The gift of tongues is limited. If the word does not exist in our language, the meaning is not processed.”

The human girl began to undo the ones wrapped around her arm, and the conversation stilled as the girl focused on her work. After her arms, the girl moved on to her torso. She involuntarily stiffened at the human’s girl touch, but it went unnoticed. Then the girl’s hands moved to her neck, and then to her face.

In this moment human girl was the closest she had been yet, and she felt her own heartbeat quicken in response. She was close enough to observe every detail on the girl’s face, and her own reflection in the girl’s pale green eyes, roaming over body.

She also observed a puzzled expression growing on her face with each bandage undone.

“Huh... your wounds are all gone!”

The human girl moved back away and onced-over her body, as if making sure what she has seen.

“Our kind can heal injuries rapidly. This is also a form of magic.”

“That’s incredible,” the girl sighed.

“Though my physical wounds have healed, I still need time to recover my energy. I should not swim in my current condition.”

“Ah…” The human girl didn’t reply, but kept staring at her body absentmindedly. While it did no harm, she felt an uncomfortable sensation surfacing at the girl’s gaze. She decided to point it out.

“You continue to stare at me.”

“Eh!? Ah, sorry! I didn’t mean to be weird.”

The girl in panic stashed the used bandages away with abandon. A bright red blotted her cheeks.

“Do you wish to continue your questions now?”

“Ah yes, please!” The girl said, pumping her fists in front of her face face in excitement.

Then the girl closed her eyes and took a few deep breaths, as if preparing her questions. She waited patiently until finally, the girl spoke again.

“Okay, before I forget again… what’s your name?”

“My name?”

“Yeah! I realized that we never really introduced ourselves! I’m Lisa by the way.”

Her mother’s voice rang through her head, _"Should you ever encounter a human, never reveal your name."_

Indeed, a name was the first step to attachment. Names have power. 

“My name... cannot be spoken in your human language.”

“Eeeh? Really?” The girl pouted. “Can you tell me what it means at least? Maybe I’ll make one up for you!”

She hesitated still. Was a made-up name in a human language that is based on her own the same thing? Even so, in the end she could not deny the girl, especially after all that she had done for her.

“My name means refinement, elegance, mystery, and night.”

“Wow… I certainly get that.”

The girl began scribbling symbols on the sand with her finger, mumbling to herself every so often. After several minutes, she circled a particular set.

“Sayo! That’s your name now.”

“Sayo…” she repeated, slowly forming the sounds in her mouth. Somehow, it gave her pleasure to pronounce.

“It’s a beautiful name. Very fitting.” the girl said with a proud smile. “It’s nice to meet you, Sayo!”

“Yes… it is nice to meet you too.”

“Ahem,” the girl said, crossing her arms. “I gave you my name too.”

Indeed the girl had. She cleared her throat.

“It is nice to meet you too… Lisa.”

Upon uttering the name, the jittery feeling returned once more, even stronger than before. Now that they address each other by name, what would become of their relationship?

But Lisa beamed at her speaking the name. Her cheeks were red again too.

“I wanted us to get to know each other. I know you have to leave eventually. We might never see each other again.” As Lisa spoke, her gaze fell, and her smile waned. “But that’s why... I just really want to be your friend.”

She didn’t know how to reply. Was a friendship between them possible? Especially because she must leave one day. But again, where would she go?

“I will stay as long as you want me. It is part of my debt to you.”

“Sayo… I appreciate it, but you shouldn’t. I don’t want to be selfish and keep you here.”

“You are not selfish. You saved my life.”

“But what about your family? They probably miss you right now.”

At the mention of her family, the image of her sister flashed in her mind.

“That… does not matter.”

“What do you mean it doesn’t matter? Of course it does!”

She didn’t reply. But Lisa peered hard at her, as if trying to stare into her mind. It was unbearable.

“Sayo… is there something wrong?”

“I admit,” she sighed. “There is something I am keeping from you.”

“Why can’t you tell me? I want to help if I can.”

“I appreciate your offer, but it does not concern you. Please do not press me any further.”

Lisa sighed, but nodded.

“Thank you.”

“But this matter of you staying or not, it’s not settled yet!” Lisa then leaned towards her, and poked her in the middle of her chest. “And you better tell me everything else if I ask about it, okay? It’s part of our deal!”

“Y-Yes… I agree to your terms.”

Lisa smiled again.

“I want to know everything I can about you, Sayo.”

“I have been told humans are curious to a fault.”

Lisa laughed. “You’re just an interesting person! You’re a mermaid!”

“That excuses it how?”

“I don’t know!” Lisa went to lie down on the blanket and propping her head up with an arm. “I just like being with you... spending time with you.”

Sayo thought about the brief time that they’ve had together. Was it really enough for Lisa to say that she enjoyed being with her? But never has anyone looked at her with such wonder in their eyes. She was not merely a novelty to Lisa, though. Lisa saw her as a person, one to befriend.

As for herself… she had never had an experience as noteworthy as this one. Being able to speak with someone the way they had felt like a breath of fresh air. The more she thought about it, the more she realized what Lisa had said was likewise true for her as well.

So she found herself saying, with the smallest of smiles, “I also enjoy your company, Lisa.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank goodness, I can finally say their names! Thanks for waiting! I hope you liked this chapter and that you'd stick around!


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